The Old Mill (1937) Walt Disney Studios (Wilfred Jackson)

The Old Mill a Walt Disney Studios animation by Wilfred Jackson that was released in 1937 is an excellent example of just how far Walt Disney had progressed since Steamboat Willy. It's use of water color backgrounds and cel animation is an excellent example of the pioneering techniques that would be the standard of Walt Disney feature animated movies that would fuel the "golden age" of animation.

Virtually every element that defined the signature Walt Disney product is in the animation, the storytelling and application of human emotion to animals such as fear, contentment, without over humanizing them would be used in all of their animated movies and is a common trope about Disney princesses. Gone on the over the top noodling of the actions of the characters and the unrealistic qualities of the initial animations just ten years prior. This is a studio that is coming of age and is confident about its techniques with the animation almost challenging others to try equal it as it, let along surpass it's quality. This is the Walt Disney that would dominate feature animation for decades to come with only a very rare attempt to compete with it's monopoly on this arena.

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